When we think of “Burwood” in Newcastle today, it is most commonly associated with Burwood Beach, situated between Glenrock Lagoon and Merewether.
Burwood Beach is situated at the northern end of what was the Burwood Coal Company’s 1287 acre coal lease.
The coal company’s principal pit was located near the centre of their lease, where the modern day suburb of Whitebridge is …
Burwood No. 3 Colliery, was located in Whitebridge.
… and consequently this area is sometimes known as Burwood. The main north/south road here is named “Burwood Road” and there was formerly a Burwood Colliery Bowling Club at this location.
Burwood Colliery Bowling Club, 2010. Google StreetView.
However there is another area in Newcastle that earlier on was also known as Burwood. It was located in the area of Merewether immediately to the south of The Junction. The name appears on an 1855 map.
“Burwood” marked to the south of Lake Macquarie Road (Bar Beach Ave today) on the plan of the Australian Agricultural Company’s Estate, Newcastle, 1855. (Note that this plan is drawn with south at the top and north at the bottom.) University of Newcastle, Living Histories.
The Historical Land Records Viewer has a number of parish maps where “Town of Burwood” is marked. The area still has to this day a “Burwood Street” within it.
The first methodist Church in the Junction was the Burwood Primitive Methodist Church, which was opened in 1859. In 1879 the original building was replaced by a brick building 50 feet by 30 feet, and service was continued in the building until 1904.
The Burwood Primitive Methodist Church was located on the south side of Railway Street.
BURWOOD SUNDAY-SCHOOL PICNIC. The Primitive Methodist Sunday-school picnic was held in the vacant piece of ground in Railway-street, opposite the church.
The Burwood Primitive Methodist Church was located at 5-6 Railway Street, Merewether. Google Earth with water board map sheet 086 from University of Newcastle, Living Histories.
Mike Scanlon in a Newcastle Herald article on 12 May 2017 has an interesting story on Bull’s Garden, an exotic pleasure garden established by Edmund Bull on 60 acres of land in Whitebridge in the late 19th century. The gardens closed sometime in the 1930s.
Land title Vol-Fol 991-221, a “Grant of land conditionally purchased for the purpose of mining other than gold mining” shows an area of 60 acres in Whitebridge (portion 85), granted to Edmund Bull.
Vol-Fol 992-221, conditional purchase of 60 acres of land at Whitebridge.
The date on this land title is 25 October 1890, however this is the date the title certificate was registered, and not the date the land was granted. The actual purchase of land may have taken place years before the paperwork was registered. The title certificate states that the grant was made under the “Crown Lands Alienation Act of 1861”, so that is the earliest the transfer to Edmund Bull could have occurred. This may be the reason why Mike Scanlon in his article states a date of purchase of “around 1860”, but other evidence points to a later date.
The name of these title certificates indicate they were “conditional purchases”. That is, a person could apply for a parcel of land and have it conditionally granted, but if they failed to follow through with the conditions (including making payment in the allotted time) then the grant could lapse or be forfeited. This appears to have occurred on portion 85, with an early historical parish map for Kahibah showing the name of G. Oakley on portion 85 crossed out, and the name “Edmund Bull” added in.
Kahibah parish map showing the name of G. Oakley on portion 85 crossed out, and the name “Edmund Bull” added. 1885 parish map, HLRV.
The advertised sale of another block of land in the Kahibah parish in June 1875 suggests that portion 85 was still conditionally granted to G Oakley at that time. Therefore Edmund Bull probably acquired the land after June 1875.
In a 17 January 1936 article in the Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, Sydney Bull reminisces about the origins of Bulls Garden, established by his father Edmund. The article notes that Syd was 75 years of age, indicating that he was born sometime around 1861. Syd recalls that “over 60 years ago, my father acquired 60 acres of land in the bush, now in the town of Whitebridge,” which indicates the purchase was prior to 1876. He also stated that he was 14 years of age when his father first sent him and his brothers from Mayfield down to Whitebridge to work at clearing the land. Syd would have been 14 around the year 1875. Thus, the evidence points to 1875 as the year Edmund Bull acquired the land.
The 60 acres Edmund Bull purchased in Whitebridge circa 1875.
Portion of 1911 map, showing location of Bull’s Garden, Whitebridge. National Library of Australia, MAP RASC 33.
This is a smaller 25 acre portion of the original 60 acre purchase, and probably indicates the area along the gully that Edmund Bull was developing as a scenic garden.
The green outlined area (approx 25 acres) corresponds to the area labelled on the 1911 map as “Bulls Garden”.
Location of former Bull’s Garden, Whitebridge.
The location of Bull’s Garden, 1944 aerial photograph overlaid into Google Earth.
Update, August 2023
While browsing the Newcastle Libraries Online Collection site, I came across a Ralph Snowball photograph titled simply “Bush scene”. [The caption has now been amended.] After studying the photo for a while and noticing quite a number of landscaped elements such as rock walls, paths, bridges and steps, I realised that it was a photo of Bull’s Garden in Whitebridge.
Bull’s Garden, Whitebridge, not dated. Photo by Ralph Snowball. Newcastle Libraries Online Collection 001 002710
Comparing the central rocky creek bed and precipice from Snowball’s photo, with an aerial photo of 76 Bulls Garden Rd Whitebridge from the SIX maps site, confirms the location of the Snowball photo.
Aerial photo of portion of 76 Bulls Garden Road, Whitebridge. SIX Maps.